Stories

Democracy/Civic Engagement

  • Hollis Watkins: Early Orientation

    A veteran of the civil rights movement, Hollis Watkins founded Southern Echo, a leadership development, education and training organization working to develop effective, accountable grassroots leadership in rural Mississippi and the surrounding region.

    Watkins and Southern Echo have been instrumental in challenging redistricting in Mississippi,...

    Hollis Watkins
  • Selma: A Shining Moment in the Conscience of Man

    This week, the nation’s attention will turn to the South as 100,000 people alight on Selma, Alabama. The crowds commemorating the 50 th anniversary of Bloody Sunday will include U.S. presidents, members of Congress, civil rights heroes, grassroots organizers, celebrities, blacks and whites, Democrats and Republicans, rich and poor.

    The pilgrims will pause to remember the day law...

  • Elders of the Movement

    All over the American South, civic-minded people are working to improve communities by building coalitions and breaking down barriers to opportunity. The recent commemorations on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, honored the sacrifices of those who marched 50 years ago and the gains they brought to bear on our society. Many of those brave foot...

    Hollis Watkins
  • Hollis Watkins: Freedom Summer

    A veteran of the civil rights movement, Hollis Watkins founded Southern Echo, a leadership development, education and training organization working to develop effective, accountable grassroots leadership in rural Mississippi and the surrounding region.

    Watkins and Southern Echo have been instrumental in challenging redistricting in Mississippi,...

    Hollis Watkins
  • Ralph Paige: Origins of the Southern Cooperative Movement & the Federation of Southern Cooperatives

    Ralph Paige has served the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund for 30 years, 15 as Executive Director. The Federation improves the quality of rural life through housing, community credit unions, cooperatives and training programs. It helps small farmers access the full range of USDA programs and keeps thousands of landowners informed of their rights and...